Time for a Climb

I took my bike to work monday hoping that I would get off early enough to get some climbing work in and I did. I was on the bike heading out of Erwin at 2pm. I headed over to Spivy. As I was climbing Spivy bam!

Bee sting......again. This one did not hurt near as bad as the one in the crit. I kept chugging along, it was about 88 degrees and no breeze at all. I was sweatin' pretty good but I wasn't hurting. Got to the top and crested, shot down the backside. I seen where somebody had spray painted "gravel" on the road. I was like ??????? Rounded a curve and I understand why now, freaking gravel all over the curves. Managed to get through all that then after I hit the bottom I didn't turn at the regular left turn I kept on for Burnsville,NC. I followed the river for several miles to get some extra mileage in and then turned around and headed back to the turnoff. I was rolling along and I could hear rumbling in the distance. "I hope that stays away" I'm thinking to myself. Came around a curve and this huge freaking black snake is laying across an entire lane on the highway.Wow! It doesn't move though and I turn around to investigate. It would be ashame for a big snake like that to have been ran over. I get within about three feet of it and its just lying there not moving. I put the bike between it and me just in case.

I get about 18 inches from it and see that it has a round pupil so I'm not worried now about it being poisonous. I lean down it turns its head and sticks its tongue out to sense me, it swells its body and rises up about 2 feet off the ground and strikes my front wheel that I have between us. "CRIKEY" as the late Steve Erwin would say ! ! ! ! ! ! !! I jump back after the fact....lol. It stands there with me like a western standoff just swaying back and forth at me. I hear a big truck coming, it must have sensed a vibration or something in the road. It slithers away pretty quick for a snake that big. I would guess it was at least 7 feet long. Two tone black with a white belly. After some research I'm guessing it was a black rat snake. After that I continue on and it seems that the storm that I heard is catching up with me.

Just before I get to the skinny one lane bridge that takes you to hwy 197 it starts rainging and thundering....YUK! I take cover because it starts to get worse with alot of wind. I sit the storm out for about 30 minutes and eat a clif bar. I got a little wet, storm passes and I contnue on down a very wet road. I get pretty wet now form the spray as I turn to head up Unaka. The road dries pretty quick and the humidity rises likewise. I crest the top of Unaka sweating like a pig, shoot the backside (rocksprings road) down into Erwin. I ride through town with an easy pace to cool down. Put the bike on the rack and head home. I got a little over 5000 feet of climbing and a smidge over 53 miles in and was home by 630. The climbing work was what I was needing with ORAMM coming up this weekend. Got up this morning and legs felt great. I guess I will hit the JC World Championships at Lamar this afternoon if the mean storm cell thats in knoxville right now holds off for a few more hours. Couple more days of medium riding before this weekend and a treat at the Hot Springs friday night!

Later G ...............................................